The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1887-10-18
PARSOp WOLFE.
BY WALLACE r. REED.
For THE CONSTITUTION.

| cited our little village to fever heat.
Holt was young farmer, without an enemy
! in tho world. His dead body was found lying
| the roadside carly in the morning aud the
! cruel gashes in his throat showed that his muir
! derous assailant had done his work only too
! well
The inquest threw no light upon the affair
and every man, woman and child in the vii
! lage turned ont to attend the funeral.
Parson Wolfe's brief discourse at the gray,
impressed everybody. twas not pathetic I
did not convey the assurance that the dea'
mans spirit was III heaven. Perhaps the mos
remarkable thing about it was its gloomy view
! OF life, and its almost fatalistic drift.
wondered that the plain country people wh'
listened so intently did not show some
! gns Of disapproyal, but upon reflection un
| derstood it, They were under the spell Of the
| mans eye and voice.
To the casual observer Parson Wolfe was a
middle-aged man, with bony, sinewy frame,
large head covered with iron. gray hair, and
a strong, resolute face. lie generally wore a
stolid expression, and il was a rare thing iOI
him 10 display any animation or excitement.
Yet this quiet rough looking man had n
wonderful hold upon his people. But little
was known Of his history. He had been a
sea-faring man in his youth it was said, but
upon his conversion he had started out as an
evangelist In the course Of time he aban-
doncd this line of work, and at the time of
poor Hollis funeral he had held a pastorate in
our place for several years.
At the close of tho exercises / hurried
away. All that the parson had said grated in
some way upon my feelings.
He has no heart / said, as / walked back
10 town. Gwen, it may be natural. lie is
wifclcss and childess, and lac lives altogether
too solitary life for his own good
"What is your theory, parson?" asked some
one in tho crowd, rs we sat around the court
house, that afternoon, discussing The murder.
"iIc was probably killed by some tramp"
was the reply. Nobody about here is capa-
bic OF such a crime"
zone thing is certain" said Coroner Jones.
The poor fellow was not cut or stabbed in the
throat. The gashes made in his flesh were
made by the teeth of n man or wild animal"
There was general cross-fire OF questions,
but Jones stoutly held to his theory
"lIot was seized from behind and thrown
down" he said "and then the thing, man or
beast, or whatever it was, fastened his teeth
upon his throat"
"Wcll think it was a tramp" remarked
ParSon Wolfe "and the wounds in Hollis
throat appear to me to have been made with
knife
Most of us agreed with the parson but after
awhile, when he started homeward, Jones and
l joined him, and resumed the discussion.
! could not help wonderingat Parson Wolfe's
calm solemnity. Sometimes a bleak, wintry
smile flashed over his face, but his eyes re-
manned sombre, dull and eXpressonless
Only the vague conviction that he was a good
man, so good that he had to be dun, sustained
me in my occasional conversations with him.
While we walked on Slowly, listening pa
tienty TO Coroner Jones, the parson amused
himself by whiting u piece of white pine.
lie was mgcniously carving it., a trick he had
probably learned in his sailor days, when his
knife slipped and cut his thumb. The blood
strcamcd from the wound, and Jones uttered
an exclamation.
/ TUNED to look, and understood Joness sur
prise. 1t was not the accident. That was n
tritlmg matter. 1T was the amazing change
that had come over Parson Wolfe. lie no
longer seemed aware of our presence. IIo
drew the bleeding thumb through his lips and
sucked it with the air of man satisfying his
thirst.
''Seo here parson," protested Jones, "this
won't do you know. Let me tie il up with my
handkerchief,'
But the parson did not hear him. The dead
white in his face was gone and his checks had
a dark rcd look. His eyes were no longer dull
They burned with lurid glow
jones and | fell back and stared at our COM
pauion. The parson seemed determined to
devonr his thumb, and before we could say
another word, he walked briskly off in the
direction Of his cottage.
"Nhat is the matter with the man? ?" asked
Jones.
As it was impossible to answer the question,
said nothing, and we retrnced our steps to
the courthouse.
The next morning people were thrown into
the widest state Of excitement by the finding
of another dead body. This time the victim
was youth of eighteen He lived Just out
side the village and his duties required him to
come in before daylight every morning His
death had evidently been similar to John
IIolt's MS his throat was cut in precisely the
same manner.
Tho theory advanced by Jones in the other
case caused people TO examine the boys throat
with a close scrutiny 1t was hard to form an
opinion, but many of the investigators declared
that the wounds werc the result of biting, as
the marks of teeth could be plainly seen.
Was il "A Wild beast? a man would not
commit murder in that savage fashion.
Parson Wolfe conducted the funeral, and
his remarks were simply an echo of the dis
course at llolt's grave.
As the crowd dispersed he drew himself
apart from the others and made his way home
alone.
"lte grows cranhicr every day" said Jones
looking after him.
"lle Is a little strange now / admitted.
"Nc acted like a regular Wild animal yester
doy when he cut his hand,' Jones broke ont
| Indignantly.
LET us drop the subject" l said abruptly
Il dom understand him, and like him les
MS l know him better"
OF course after two such horrible murders
following each other in quick succession, poo
pie were nervous and apprehenSive. Every
body was on tho alert. and after dark thos,
who had business abroad made il point TO g,
armed.
bat with all our vigilance tho mystery O
the two numbers remained as dark as ever
The weeks and months slipped away without
the slightest clcw.
some OF the villagers regretted that Parsor
/ Wolfe was unable 20 assist MS in our attempts
20 ferret cut the unknown murderer who hal
made such sad havoc In our peaceful hamlJ {